into winning form in 2002. The workload he was originally going to be pegged with was greatly alleviated thanks to a rejuvenated Masumi Kuwata and continued production of hotshot youngster Koji Uehara, as the trio formed the front end of the Giants rotation. Despite coming back from injury, he threw innings, his highest total since 1999. Also for the first time since the 1999 season, Kudoh posted an ERA under 3.00 at 2.91. Kudoh was part of a Japan Series-winning team for the 11th time in 2002. This time, he was on the other side the Giants-Lions rivalry as the Giants defeated the Lions in the Japan Series for the first time since 1994. In his only appearance, he got the start and earned the win in game 3, pitching 8 innings with 8 strikeouts and only giving up 2 runs. The Giants swept the Lions in 4 games. 2003-2006: Final Years with Yomiuri The 2002 season was the last time that Kudoh threw over 150 innings in his career and his ERA ballooned to 4.23 in 2003. From 2003 until 2005, he would see his ERA rise every year (4.67 in 2004, 4.70 in 2005). However, he did win at least 10 games in both years. His last season with Yomiuri in 2006 saw him once again miss significant time. He only made 13 appearances and finished 3–2 with a 4.50 ERA. His contract was not renewed by Yomiuri, but Kudoh still felt a desire to pitch. 2007–2009: Yokohama BayStars Not yet satisfied to end his career, Kudoh would sign with the Yokohama BayStars. After pitching in domed stadiums from 1995 to 2006, Kudoh was pitching in the open-air Yokohama Stadium, the first time he had pitched outdoors regularly since his last days with Seibu in 1994. The 2007 season was the first and only time that Kudoh pitched over 100 innings with the BayStars. As the team's #5 starter, not much was expected of Kudoh, yet he still went 7–6 with a 3.91 ERA in 19 appearances with the 'Stars. He also won at least one game for the 23rd consecutive season, breaking Tetsuya Yoneda's previous record of 22 consecutive seasons with a win. In 2008, despite off-season elbow surgery, Kudoh was still out to prove he had something left. However, he spent most of the season at ni-gun (Japanese minor leagues). He made a career-low 3 appearances